Road tractors are used to pull semi-trailers on roads to transport cargo. Aerodynamic apparatuses are installed on the road tractor and/or on the semi-trailer in order to reduce the aerodynamic air drag and improve fuel efficiency.
Trailer skirts made of rigid materials are installed on both lateral sides of a road trailer to help manage the flow of air around and underneath the trailer. Brackets, also made of rigid material, are affixed to the trailer to secure the skirts positioned thereto. These aerodynamic skirts are secured to the bottom portion of the trailer, or to the sides of the trailer's floor, to ensure proper positioning when the vehicle is moving.
People who are familiar with the trucking industry know that trailers are built in various configurations. Frame assembly of trailer can use members and beams of different dimensions. For example, an I-beam, that is commonly used in trailer manufacturing, also known as H-beam, W-beam (for “wide flange”), Universal Beam (UB), Rolled Steel Joist (RSJ), or double-T, is a beam with an I or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the “I” are known as flanges, while the vertical element is termed the “web”. I-beams are usually made of structural steel, or aluminum, and are used in construction and civil engineering. The web resists shear forces, while the flanges resist most of the bending moment experienced by the beam. Beam theory shows that the I-shaped section is a very efficient form for carrying both bending and shear loads in the plane of the web. An adaptable securing mechanism is hence desirable to adapt to a range of I-beam dimensions.
The skirts, because of their position under the trailer's floor and their proximity with the road, are significantly vulnerable and might easily enter in contact with surrounding obstacles. Portions of the securing mechanism holding the skirts, when put under significant stress, plastically bend and/or break to effect the skirts' position in respect to the road trailer thus reducing the efficiency of the skirts. Additionally, the assembly can be crooked or not precisely aligned, which is causing additional challenges to secure the aerodynamic skirt assembly to the vehicle.
Aerodynamic skirt assemblies in the art are complex to install given the many adjustments required to match the precise configuration of each trailer. The number of parts required to secure the strut to the trailer is generally significant and time consuming to assemble. Also, the weight of the skirt assembly is important to prevent unduly adding weight to the trailer and hence increase its fuel consumption.
Skirt supporting struts in the art have a linear deflection rate that is proportional to the force applied thereto. The struts need to be rigid enough to remain in their operating position and channel efficiently air around the trailer. This required rigidity is significant and is detrimental to proper flexing of the skirt assembly when contacting a foreign object.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved aerodynamic skirt assembly over the existing art. There is a need in the art for an improved skirt-securing strut adapted to recover its original shape after contacting a foreign object. There is also a need for a skirt-securing strut that can flex, can be economically manufactured and easily installed.